LAMB feedlots are growing in popularity.
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A combination of market demand, fueled by high prices plus the dry seasonal conditions make feedlots a good option.
However, new research from the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation in Wagga is looking at how to make this technique more effective and valuable.
The study by Charles Sturt University PhD candidate Thomas Keogh aims to understand current practices and identify constraints to growth rates to guide further research to improve lamb feedlot performance.
"Many producers have turned to feedlotting lambs as a way to add value to lambs and grain, capitalise on the strong market demand, and manage seasonal variability," Mr Keogh said.
"But there's not a lot of scientific research available to help guide management decisions and the growth rates of lambs in these systems do not always meet expectations."
Mr Keogh is calling for people who own or manage lamb feedlotting enterprises in Australia to complete a short survey online at https://www.research.net/r/Lamb-Feedlot
"The survey is anonymous and will take less than 15 minutes to complete," Mr Keogh said.
"It includes questions about the feedlot, management practices, animal nutrition and health.
"The aim is to develop a greater understanding of the Australian lamb feedlotting industry," he said.
It will also identify some of the constraints to lamb daily growth rates.
This will allow researchers to undertake further research to improve the performance of these production systems and inform decisions about feed and financial budgeting.
The research is funded by the Australian Research Training Program and the Fred Morley Centre at Charles Sturt and the Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company.
It is being supervised by Graham Centre researchers Dr Shawn McGrath, Professor Bruce Allworth and Associate Professor Marta Hernandez-Jover and Dr Hutton Oddy from the NSW Department of Primary Industries and University of New England.
The survey has been approved by the Charles Sturt Human Research Ethics Committee.
Meanwhile, markets for sheep and lambs are still buoyant despite uncertainty generated from the coronavirus.
At Wagga on Thursday vendors offered 43,800 and trade lambs prices eased by $3, however, there was still good demand for extra-heavy lots.
- See more from Wagga markets on Page 15